


Deal?

by OriginofChaos



Category: Smosh
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-02
Updated: 2015-11-01
Packaged: 2018-04-18 18:06:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4715510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OriginofChaos/pseuds/OriginofChaos
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anthony can't play cards. At all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

“ _Please, give me one more chance, and I will win!” Anthony whined, watching Lasercorn hiding his last $20 banknote into the pocket._

“ _You just can't play cards, admit it already,” Jovenshire laughed. Anthony pouted._

“ _I can! And I will win! Come on, I need my money!” he shouted._

“ _I need your money too,” David smiled. “All right, I offer you a deal. If you win, you'll get all your money back. If you lose, you will do everything – everything! – I want for a week. Deal?”_

_Anthony pondered._

“ _Don't agree!” Mari pleaded._

“ _Deal!”_

_A couple of minutes later Lasercorn laughed triumphantly at Anthony, who hid his face in hands._

“ _And now thy name will be 'My Bitch',” he grinned and glanced at the watch hanging on a wall. “Okay, since I'm really kind, I'll give you all a chance to decide Anthony's fate for the next 7 days. Any suggestions?”_

“ _Just don't ask me buy anything, I've no money,” Anthony whispered._

“ _We won't, darling,” Lasercorn petted his head softly. “So?”_

“ _Why don't he just be your servant?” Sohinki asked._

“ _Nah, it's boring. I need something creative, come on!”_

“ _So let him be your lover!” Mari chuckled. Anthony looked at her, horrified._

“ _I'm afraid my wife won't get it,” David smiled. “But... How about...”_

“ _What?!” Anthony asked in terror.  
“How about him being a lover of... Ian?” David ended and smirked. Everyone roared their support._

“ _You're evil! All of you!!!” Anthony shouted._

“ _Are we?” Joven looked at Anthony innocently. “We are more like angels sent here from the heavens.”_

“ _Anyway, since it's already after midnight, your week is starting now!” Lasercorn smiled eerily, causing Anthony shiver. “And we will start with creating an after-sex scene in Ian's bedroom. Oh, by the way, how deep does he sleep?”_

“ _Very deep,” Anthony replied weakly._

“ _Great! Let's go.”_

_While Mari was in the bathroom preparing condoms, the rest of the crew sneaked into Ian's bedroom. Ian was sleeping deeply and snoring quietly._

“ _Okay, let's make this room look like there was a really passionate night,” Lasercorn whispered and turned to Anthony. “Now get undressed.”_

“ _What? No!” Anthony whispered back loudly._

“ _Yes. You had sex with Ian tonight, so you must be naked. Oh, and by the way,” Dave chuckled, “you were the bottom one.”_

_Jovenshire and Sohinki, who were scattering Ian's clothes artistically, giggled quietly._

“ _Fine,” Anthony took his shirt off. “But why I must be the bottom one?”_

“ _Because his ass won't be sore in the morning.”_

“ _Hate y'all,” Anthony mumbled._

_When Mari brought condoms, Joven and Matt were trying to take Ian's underwear off without waking him up, and Lasercorn was persuading Anthony to undress completely. Her eyes widened in shock, and she froze._

“ _Well, I knew it'd be fun, but I couldn't imagine this,” she squeezed._

“ _Cool, huh?” Sohinki smiled. “Now scatter these things somewhere here, please.”_

“ _Uh-huh...”_

“ _Attention everyone!” Lasercorn whispered. “Don't look at Anthony until he lies down because he's naked and very shy.”_

“ _And now everyone's looking at him, well done, Lasercorn!” Joven smirked._

“ _Shut up! All right, here's your instructions,” he turned back to Anthony. “You will lie down next to Ian and hug him – yes, it's necessary! And for the next week you should act like he is your boyfriend, no matter how he reacts. We all will be watching you. Got it?”_

“ _Yes,” Anthony nodded sadly._

“ _Good,”, Dave smiled and threw up his hands. “Lady and gentlemen, let the fun begin!”_

“ _Bastards,” Anthony lay down and hugged Ian. Ian mumbled something, smiled and hugged Anthony too._

“ _It's gonna be really fun,” Matt chuckled and everyone left the room._

 

I woke up and stretched. I felt surprisingly good, and that could mean only one thing – I didn't hear my alarm. For some reason, Anthony didn't wake me up either, and that was strange. To be honest, I felt kind of strange too. Something was definitely wrong, but my sleepy brain couldn't get what exactly. Everything was clear for me then I turned around to get my phone. I saw Anthony who was hugging me. What the fuck...

I tried to remember last night, but to my surprise, I remembered it clearly. I was editing another 'Ian is Bored' which was due until midnight and then I fell asleep. Anthony wasn't involved there in any way possible. While I was pondering, Anthony woke up and hugged me tighter. That was good, I finally got a chance to find out everything.

“Morning, honey,” he whispered and smiled.

Wait, what?!

“Uh... Morning,” I responded weakly.

“How did you sleep? I bet it was great,” Anthony continued interrogation.

“Uh-huh... You're- you're right.”

I felt like I forgot every word existing. I think I've never been that shocked as I was then. I was trying to understand what was going on but all my attempts failed miserably.

“Of course! This night was marvellous. Right, I'm going to make you a breakfast. I hope you like it,” he kissed my cheek and got up. That was the moment when I wished I was blind. Anthony was naked. Completely naked! I checked myself quickly and found out that I was naked too. I began to wonder if my memories about yesterday night were right. But it was high time to upload the new 'Ian is bored', so I decided to find everything out a bit later.

I got up, put on my underwear and went to my desk. I hoped everything was just a dream, but it was too real for it. Even a fucking condom I stepped on accidentally. However, I couldn't get anything. Why didn't my memories match with everything I've already seen? Screw that question. I wanted to know why Anthony was treating me like I was his boyfriend, and it really bothered me. I uploaded the video on YouTube and went to the kitchen where Anthony was supposed to be. It turned out that he wasn't alone – there was a Smosh Games crew with him. I completely forgot that they stayed here that night.

“Morning,” I greeted everyone. “Guys, can y-”

“Ah-ha, Ian's here!” Lasercorn interrupted me. “It was a good night, huh?”

“I, uh-”

“Come on, it's obvious! This guy,” Mari grinned and tapped Anthony's shoulder, “didn't let us sleep because of him!”

“I didn't-”

“You know, we're really proud and happy for you two,” Sohinki said.

“Wh-”

“Yeah, it's cool you've finally decided to come out, and, you know, you're the best couple I've ever seen in my life!” Joven grinned.

Come out? Couple? Am I in some kind of parallel universe or something?

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back! (Well, kind of...) I hope you missed me :)  
> Anyway, I came up with this idea a few years ago, and I thought that this could be a good story. I continue it (if you like it, of course) as long as I have free time.  
> Love you all!


	2. Day 1

I was standing speechless in a deep shock, trying to realise what was going on. It turned out to be harder than I thought. Everyone was staring at me, except Anthony, who was busy making breakfast, and their faces were uncomfortably happy. But there was nothing to be happy about!

“Right, everyone, calm down,” I tried to settle everything down. “I don't know what you're talking about, all of you. I don't know what do you mean by 'coming out' or 'marvellous night',” I drew quotation marks in the air, “but it didn't happen! Yesterday I was editing and sleeping, nothing more!”

“That's strange,” Lasercorn smiled. “He drank less than the others yesterday yet doesn't remember anything!”

“How can you not understand?” Mari looked at me with heart eyes. “He's intoxicated with love...”

“I'm sober!” I snapped. “It's you who high as fuck!”

“High or not, I don't care,” Anthony, who was quiet all that time, finally meddled. “Still, the breakfast is ready.”  
And then the idea dawned at me. They were drugging me for sure. I didn't know how, probably through my food or drink. So that's why everything was so strange and delusional, that's why they mentioned intoxication! I decided to go to the local café to have breakfast there, so I made sure they wouldn't drug me again.

“You know, I'm not that hungry,” I mumbled. “I'd rather go for a walk. Alone.”

I went to my room, dressed up quickly and almost ran out of the house. I couldn't be there anymore.

 

“ _I'm so glad we decided to do that!” Lasercorn yelled, excited. “This face, oh my god! It's too much fun to handle!”_

“ _So, maybe I should stop pretending to be his boyfriend? Please?” Anthony begged.  
“Oh, no, never. I'm excited to see what happens next. Are you excited too?” David looked around to see the reaction. Everyone nodded. “See? Everyone thinks that this is the best idea I've come up with.”_

“ _It's actually the worst idea,” Anthony moaned. “Do you even know how hard to treat your best friend the same way you treat your girlfriend? I nearly barfed when I kissed Ian-”_

“ _What?!” everyone screamed in surprise, not letting Anthony finish the sentence._

“ _I kissed Ian, but-”_

“ _So you're enjoying this, huh?” Jovenshire smirked. “It wasn't that necessary to kiss him, all you should have done was to sleep beside him naked.”_

“ _First of all, I woke up before he got up. And, damn, I'm an actor, okay?” Anthony snapped. “There's no point in acting if you can't make it believable.”_

“ _You could 'act',” Matt drew quotation marks in the air, “like you were still sleeping, couldn't you?”_

_Anthony opened his mouth to explain himself but he couldn't. Sohinki was right._

“ _That's the point. Hence, you like it,” Mari finished._

“ _No, I don't!!!” Anthony shouted. “I hate it, I want it to end as soon as possible!”_

“ _It will end, don't freak out much,” Lasercorn smiled. “It's only for a week.”_

“ _For the longest week in my life...” Anthony sighed and sat at the table._

 

I drove to the nearest coffee shop I used to visit when I had enough time to have a cup of a good coffee and have a little break. I was welcomed by Chris, the owner of the shop. There was almost no one there, I guess, because it was Monday morning, and everyone was working.

“Oh, Ian? Haven't seen you for a while!” he exclaimed when he saw me. “As usual?”

“Yes, please,” I sighed.

“Bad morning, huh?” he asked me, smiling. I shrugged.

“Terrible, to be honest. I don't know if I'm drugged or in some kind of the parallel universe...”

“You can't be in parallel universe. If it was so, we wouldn't be talking the same way we do right now,” Chris handled me my cup of coffee.

“True. That means I'm drugged,” I stared on the cup for a bit and took a sip.

“Wait, why do you think so?”

“Well...” I pondered if I should tell everything that happened to me this morning and decided to tell him. “Okay, so yesterday evening I was editing a new video and then went to bed. Alone. But when I woke up, I found Anthony lying naked beside me. Moreover, our co-workers, who were that evening with Anthony, claim that Anthony and I came out as a couple. But we're not and never were a couple! Can you imagine this?”

“What do you mean? You and Anthony are not dating each other?”

A sip I've taken stuck somewhere in the middle of my throat and burnt everything inside.

“No! How could you even think about it?!”  
“Well, I don't know, it's just chemistry between you two...”

By that time I'd fed up with the 'boyfriend' thing, so I left, not saying a word. That was becoming too absurd. I felt the need to drive somewhere far away from here all the sudden, so I sat into my car and drove somewhere, I didn't even know where.

 

“ _Where's Ian? Joven whined. “I want the spectacle, it's too boring already.”_

“ _Call him if you want,” Anthony muttered._

“ _Nope, it's you who will call him,” David grinned. “And don't argue. Remember – you must do everything I'm telling you.”_

“ _Fine,” Anthony sighed, annoyed. “Where's my phone...”_

“ _You're sitting on it. And don't forget to treat him like he's your boyfriend! And turn the speaker on.”_

“ _Actually,_ _it's 6 in the evening,_ _you should have been gone already...” Anthony whispered under his nose, found his phone and called Ian._

“ _Hello?” he heard slightly annoyed and tired Ian's voice._

“ _Hello, honey, where are you?”_

“ _Stop it, I'm not your boyfriend.”_

_Everyone except Anthony giggled quietly._

“ _But still, there are you?”_

“ _I- I don't know. What?”_

“ _Well...” Anthony made the saddest voice he could. “I miss you... When will you come back?”_

“ _I don't know. Maybe I won't come back today.”_

“ _Why?”_

“ _Because-” Ian coughed and cleaned his throat. “I don't know, I need some time to think.”_

“ _Are you mad at me? Have I done something wrong?” Anthony wondered._

“ _No, nothing. I just need to be alone for a while.”_

“ _Okay, I'll be waiting for you then. I love you.”_

“ _I'm not your boyfriend,” Ian groaned and hang up._

“ _Aww, your last line was so cute!” Mari cooed._

“ _I didn't mean it, for the record,” Anthony sighed. “And why are you still here? Are you going to live here for this week? Shouldn't you be shooting Game Bang, or Gametime, or Game Whatever?”_

“ _You're a very shitty host,” Joven_ _poked him._

“ _Let it be, now get out. We've got shooting tomorrow, I need to prepare everything.”_

“ _Okay. But remember,” Lasercorn whispered eerily. “I'm watching you.”_

“ _Whatever.”_

 

I went back home when it was about 11 o'clock. I hoped that Anthony was sleeping already, so I wouldn't need to talk to him. To be honest, I did want to talk to him, I missed him, actually, but I didn't want him to treat me like he did since the morning. Unfortunately, Anthony was in the living room playing Mario Kart.

“Hi, darling,” he told me as soon as he spotted me and smiled.

“Hi.”

The awkward silence filled the room. It was strange. There wasn't awkward silence between us for years, but it changed today. I didn't know what to say, and he was waiting for something.

“Where have you been?” he finally spoke.

“I've driven around the city, and I've spotted some cool places we totally should visit.”

Anthony smiled softly and went on playing. I suddenly felt so wrecked. That day was kind of challenging, so I wanted it to end faster. I hoped that everything tomorrow would be as it was before.

“I'm gonna go sleep,” I said, yawning.

“Want me to come with you?” Anthony asked.

“No, I'm fine. Actually, I want to sleep alone.”

Anthony paused the game and looked into my eyes. I shivered.

“You're mad at me, aren't you?” he asked sadly.

“No, I just feel like it today. Everything's good.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“All right,” Anthony got up and went to me. “I'm looking forward to see you tomorrow.”

“Me too,” I smiled and then I felt his lips pecking my cheek.

“Good night, sunshine.”

To be honest, there was something sweet in it. I think I'd like someone else treating me like that. Not Anthony, for sure. It's too awkward to hear something like that from your best friend. Well, now for some reason for him I wasn't his best friend but his lover, so he didn't see anything wrong in it. I was still wondering what was the reason, but I didn't think about it properly. As soon as my head touched a pillow, I fell asleep.

 

“ _I know you're not with Ian. Go hug him.”_

_Anthony's heard pounded. He thought: 'How the fuck did he know I'm in my room?!'_


	3. Day 2

“Wake up, sleepy-head!”

I smiled when I heard someone's gentle voice, trying to wake me up.

“Five more minutes, please...”

“No, honey, I don't have a snooze button. Wake up...”

I slowly opened my eyes, and my smile faded instantly. There was Anthony. Again.

“Seriously?!” I yelled. “I told you I want to be alone tonight!”

“I was so lonely without you...” Anthony whispered guiltily. “And when I saw you, I thought you were cold, so I tried to warm you.”

“It's almost summer. In California. I simply couldn't be cold,” I grumbled.

“Of course you could,” Anthony protested. “Anyway, we have to get up, everyone will be here soon.”

I suddenly felt too lazy to crawl out of such a nice and cosy bed.

“Do I have to get up?” I whined. “Maybe you can play my role too?”

“Well, I could, but it's too difficult for me to fart in my own face,” Anthony laughed and punched me in my arm playfully. “Come on, lazy ass, we have work to do.”  
I felt relief for a brief moment. Here he was – the Anthony I knew for more than a half of my life. The Anthony I missed so bad. I didn't even realise how much I missed him. Unfortunately, it ended just as suddenly as it began when he kissed my nose and left the room, saying “I'll be waiting there for you, sweetheart”. Of course, it didn't motivate me to leave my room. However, the bastard was right – we had a job to do. Unfortunately.

 

“ _Guess what? Everyone already know about the bet! You know what it means. Your goal for today is to hold Ian's hand every time you can. I'm watching you!”_

_Anthony sighed and growled a curse under his nose. It was only the second day of his torture but it felt like it was already lasting for weeks. Why did he even agreed to David's deal? Anthony didn't know. He'd rather lose his money than the bet. But the thing was that he lost the money **and** the bet. Anthony thought for a moment if he could refuse doing all this 'boyfriend' things, but, firstly, he was the man of his word, and secondly, Lasercorn could make up something even worse than that. Then he thought about cheating a little bit. Maybe he could act as usual when Ian and Anthony were all alone. But Lasercorn found out somehow that he wasn't in Ian's bed tonight, so maybe he really was watching them... So Anthony decided to keep acting in the way he was told. 'Sooner or later it should end anyway,' he thought._

_When Anthony opened the fridge to take the bottle of juice out, he heard someone knocking at the door. It was Ryan who was smiling widely._

“ _Hi, Anthony!” he greeted. “How's going? Where's your boyfriend?”_

“ _He's not my-” Anthony began, but Ryan interrupted him quickly._

“ _Nah-ah, I know everything. You can't fool me. So, where's he?”_

“ _Being too lazy to get up,” Anthony grumbled. Ryan chuckled._

“ _I know that feeling too well. I'll go bring him here, if you want.”_

“ _Whatever.”_

_Anthony finally opened the bottle of juice he was holding all this time and poured it into the glass. He heard quiet mumbling somewhere in the house, followed by Ian's desperate shout “Get out of here, you moron, I'm naked!!!” and smiled. It was the funniest thing on that day by far, but Anthony was afraid that it would be the only funny thing today._

 

“Are you ready?”

I looked down at my hand that was in Anthony's hand.

“I will be, when you let me go.”

I caught his look and then he smiled. I could still feel the hold.

“Let's go shoot this shit, then.”

“Uh-huh. Let me go.”

He dragged me to our shooting crew. His hand was still squeezing mine.

“Alright, guys, we're ready! Let's get started!”

“Oh, you're holding hands in public already! That's so sweet,” Ryan cooed. He was ready for the shooting, so he was almost unrecognisable with this stupid emo wig and glasses. For some reason, his look made it sound even worse. “You guys are the perfect couple! Has anyone told you that?”

“Yes, everyone, a lot,” I groaned, trying hard to set my hand free. Anthony was holding it tightly, so I almost didn't feel my fingers.

“I think we should start filming outside, while guys will be having fun with Ian's bed,” Anthony said, saving me from another stupid and awkward questions. Still, he was still fucking holding my fucking hand. Then I had a thought, which could save my hand from the amputation.

“I think I'll help the guys having fun in my bedroom.”

“You're gonna be cheating on me?” Anthony reacted instantly and squeezed my hand so much that I whimpered.

“No! I mean yes! I mean...” I realised that I was talking rubbish as everyone started laughing. “You know, fuck you, all of you!”

I finally set myself free and went away.

“Nah-ah, honey, you can fuck only me!” Anthony called after me, and everyone burst out laughing. I sighed heavily. It was going to be a long day.

Later we were shooting the scene with the breadbox, where I was asking Anthony to throw it away with the pills.

“Okay, what, am I your slave now?” Anthony told his line, and something snapped in my brain. I decided not to go along the script and see how Anthony would react.

“Yes!” I answered and pretended like I was lashing Anthony with my invisible whip.

“Oh yeah! Oh!” he responded with terrible German accent. “I like getting whipped in the buttocks! Oh ja!”

I was... Surprised, as one might say. That was awkward. Really awkward. Of course, everyone but me considered this as a joke, but as for me, I felt like I had enough. For some reason, I started to take the jokes like that too seriously. It seemed like I was the grumpiest man on the set. That was weird and kind of sad. But there was the one thing that was even worse than that. He tried to hold my hand every time we were off the sight of the camera. That was really freaking me out.

“I want to dedicate the dance to my baby,” Anthony leaned against the pole and blew me a kiss. I turned away and sighed. I was so glad that it was the last scene we were shooting. The day seemed to me lasting longer than usual, and I was tired as fuck. I was jealous of Anthony, he was having fun and definitely didn't over-think things. Whine he was shaking his butt around the pole, pretending to be sleeping, I thought about everything that happened today. Why was I reacting so harsh? What the actual fuck was going on with me? Did I start going slightly mad?

 

“ _You did a great job today!” Anthony saw on his phone screen. “Keep going! As a reward, I will give you no special goals for tomorrow but one – pretend to be his boyfriend.”_

“ _If only you knew how hard it is,” Anthony mumbled and sighed. Ian went to sleep already, and he decided to give his friend and himself a little break. It was clear that Ian needed one. Anthony didn't blame him, he thought that his reaction would be pretty much the same. Suddenly Anthony caught himself thinking that he would love Ian to treat him the way Anthony was forced to treat Ian._

“ _Well, great,” he grumbled. “You must get some sleep, dude.”_

_He went into Ian's room, yawning and stretching. When he was about to lie down, he looked at Ian and felt that he couldn't take his eyes off him. Ian was really cute when sleeping. His hair was already messy, and Anthony felt irresistible need to fix it. His lips were parted a little, and quiet snores occasionally slipped from them. The moonlight was falling on him, making his skin paper white and fragile. Anthony thought that he could tear his skin with only a touching. He was so attracted to the features he never spotted before, that he didn't see Ian opening his eyes._

“ _Dude, what the hell?!” he shouted, but Anthony didn't hear him. He saw Ian's eyes. The moonlight highlighted them, so their colour was indescribably beautiful. Anthony had never seen such a stunning hue of Ian's eyes. It was hypnotising._

“ _Hey, man? You're creeping me out!”_

_Anthony blinked fast, clearing his head._

“ _Oh, I-I'm sorry, I-”_

“ _How long did you stare at me?”_

_Anthony looked on the watch. He was admiring of Ian for 30 minutes and he didn't even feel the time flowing._

“ _For about a minute.”_

“ _That's still creepy, don't do that, ever,” Ian sighed. “Come on then, lie down, go to sleep. At least, it's not that creepy.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, and sorry for you waiting for so long. At first I was really busy at work and then I was in shock after the new episode of Doctor Who... Never mind, I hope you enjoyed the new chapter :)


	4. Day 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I start, I want to thank all of you for your feedback, I really appreciate that!  
> I love you all <3

“Wakin' up, honey...”

I groaned.

“Anthony, are you watching me sleep again?”

“Uh, no...”

I opened my eyes, which turned out to be a little harder than I expected, to see Anthony. He was lying leaning on his elbow and, of course, staring at me.

“Are you sure?”

“As hell, because you're not asleep any more.”

I sighed and looked away.

“It's not even funny, you know.”

“Really?” he sounded surprised. “I thought-”

“It's not,” I didn't let him end his sentence. “Not at all, just like this holding hands thing or anything, it's just... annoying.”

Anthony turned away from me and sighed heavily.

“Why do you keep rejecting me?” he mumbled sadly.

I felt really sorry for Anthony all the sudden. It wasn't his fault, after all. He loved me before that, when there was different 'me' he fell for, so he didn't understand why I started rejecting him out of the blue. And maybe... Maybe I should have supported him instead of being defensive. So then I decided to play a role of Anthony's boyfriend.

“I'm sorry,” I moved closer to him and hugged him. “I was just stressed a little, that's it.”

“So I'm not guilty of anything, am I?” he asked quietly.

“No, of course not,” I hugged him tighter to calm him down. “Everything's fine.”

“Thanks...” he almost whispered.

“Not at all. Do you want me to make a breakfast for you? I can do the best cereal with milk in town,” I heard him chuckle quietly and smiled.

“Sure thing. I'll meet you there in a couple of minutes.”

To be honest, the role of Anthony's boyfriend was one of the worst roles I've ever played. There was something unnatural in it, something that was creeping me out. However, it was worth it. At least, I was making Anthony happy, and this was the best thing I could do for him. I loved him anyway, but not in a way he loved me.

When I put bowls of cereal on the table, I felt Anthony hugging me. I cringed inside but mastered myself and smiled.

“Hi.”

“Hi, darling. How's it going?”

“Good,” I was still in Anthony's hold, being afraid of turning to him. There was a chance of him kissing me, and I wanted to let it slip away. However, Anthony didn't insist on kissing.

“Are those your famous cereal?” he asked happily. I nodded. “I'm looking forward to taste it!”

“Here's your chance!” I smiled and when Anthony let me go, I sat at the table. Anthony did the same thing.

When we sat down, I could finally see Anthony's face. He was looking happy, but his eyes were telling the opposite. I wondered why he was sad. From my perspective, everything was great. The man he loved stopped acting like a dick and told him that he loved him back. Isn't it the thing he wanted? Or is it too obvious that I'm just acting that I love him back?

“Anthony, what's wrong?” I decided to ask him directly. “Are you unhappy?”

“What? Uh, no, I'm not,” he replied. “I'm just kind of recovering from those two days, you know...”

“Don't get stuck to it,” I tried to cheer him up. “Everything's fine now, isn't it? You know that I love you.”

I held out my hand to Anthony. He took it and squeezed as if he was drowning and my hand was the only thing that could save him. I looked at his face and noticed that his eyes brightened a bit. That meant that I was doing everything great.

“I love you too,” he smiled shyly, looking straight into my eyes. For some reason it didn't seem to me creepy or something. But I knew that I need to stop this, because when something like that happens between two characters in films, it always ends up with make-out session. This was the last thing I wanted to do.

“All right,” I exclaimed, breaking the idyll and making him start. “Have we got any plans for today?”

“Not actually, as far as I remember,” Anthony pondered. “We can shoot another 'Ian is Bored' or 'Lunchtime', if you want.”

“Okay, 'Lunchtime' then. What are we going to have?”

“Already? Seriously?” Anthony laughed. “You haven't finished your cereal yet!”

“Still, I think it's be better, if we decide everything now,” I smiled. “So?”

“Burgers. I want burgers. Do you want some?”

 

“ _Mari? Hi, it's Anthony.”_

“ _Yeah, I know who you are,” Mari chuckled. “What's up? Why are you speaking so quiet?”_

“ _Well...” Anthony hesitated. “Ian started acting pretty strange.”_

“ _Can you add some details, please?”_

“ _He acts the same way Dave forces me to act.”_

_Mari went silent for a couple of seconds, trying to understand what Anthony meant._

“ _You meant, like you're his boyfriend, right?” she asked._

“ _Yup,” Anthony sighed._

“ _Aww, our little boy seems to be falling in love!” she giggled._

“ _You think so?” Anthony whispered, terrified._

“ _Why are you so scared of it?”_

“ _Well, he's my best friend, duh.”_

“ _So what? You like it, don't you?”_

“ _No, I don't!” Anthony snapped. “That scares the hell out of me!”_

“ _Just admit it,” Mari said in a mesmerising voice. “Somewhere deep down in your heart...”_

“ _Mari, no!” Anthony nearly shouted desperately. “I-I gotta go, see you.”_

“ _Yeah.”_

_Anthony hang up, sat on the couch and sighed. He didn't know what to think and how did he feel. Last night he thought that he started falling in love with Ian. That thought gave him no peace. He couldn't sleep almost all night because of it, although he wanted to sleep desperately. He couldn't believe that he fell in love with his best friend in such a short period of time, considering the fact that they were best friends for many years. He couldn't understand the origins of these feelings – was that actual love which was developing for all the years but Anthony didn't notice and thought that it was the way it should be? Was that Anthony's acting skill which made him believe that he was in love with his best friend? He didn't know._

_When Ian started treating Anthony like he was his boyfriend, Anthony was terrified. He couldn't understand whether Ian realised that everything was a sick joke or he actually fell in love with him. Either way, it made Anthony even more anxious and the thoughts about his own feelings started to terrorise his brain more intensively._

“ _Anthony!” Anthony heard Ian's voice and felt his heart trembling. “Are you ready? It's your turn to drive!”_

“ _Coming!”_

 

“So today we're doing a little something special,” I talked to the camera and saw Anthony grinning with a corner of my eye. “What?”

“Nah, nothing,” he answered. “I just like how you're talking to your hand.”

“Luckily, the hand is holding a camera,” I smiled barely and went on. “Anyway, they're always offer that stupid promotions and no one ever, uh, wants that crap.”

“Yeah, I know,” Anthony commented. “The first thing when I go through drive-through is I immediately say 'No, thanks', regardless of what it is.”

“Yeah, they like 'Would you like a-?' 'No!' 'Would you like a-?' 'No!' 'Would you like a hand job?' 'No!'”

“Actually, I might say 'Yes' to...” Anthony shrugged and looked at me.

“Want me to give you one?” I stopped recording and smirked.

“Easy, tiger, I'm driving!” he laughed. “But, maybe later...”

“The offer is limited in time, and it ends right... now!”

Anthony made the most ridiculous sad face he could. 

“But I wanted a hand job...” he whined.

“What can I do...” I shrugged and pressed the record button. “So, we're gonna say 'Yes' to whatever they try to offer us, and we probably get the most random crap ever.”

The rest of our shooting was full of innuendos, which I hoped to be cut out. We almost ended up kissing a couple of times, but luckily I  avoided it by changing the topic or just telling him that I wasn't going to kiss a man with onion breath. I wasn't ready for this kind of acting yet and I was intended to avoid it as long as I could. However, I did kiss Anthony in his cheek before falling asleep, but that was the kind of kisses I could cope with. Barely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I was too lazy to write there the whole episode of 'Lunchtime', sorry :)


	5. Day 4

“Wake up!”

I groaned.

“I don't care who you are, but if you don't vanish in 3 seconds, I'll destroy you.”

“But we are already late. Come on, get up, dress up and let's go.”'

“No,” I moaned and covered my head with a sheet. “I'm a human, and getting enough sleep is my basic right. Get lost.”

“It's not since you're famous. No one cares whether you slept last night or stared at the ceiling until the dawn.”

“They must!” I opened my eyes and saw a little annoyed Anthony. “They must love me since I'm famous!”

“They do, but they love our content more. There will be none as long as you're sleeping. Or you should have a good excuse,” Anthony was trying to stay calm but the further it went, the less he could manage his anger.

“I've got one called 'I don't wanna go'. Is it good?”

“No. Get out of the bed or I'll spank your ass. And don't expect it to be a prelude, it's not going to be pleasurable.”

I guess, Anthony officially lost his temper.

“All right,” I growled. “Don't freak out. I'm getting up. In a minute. Or two. Wait for me in the living room, I need to dress up.”

I sat on the bed as soon as the door shut and took my jeans. My eyelids were as heavy as never before. I guess, I should have try to fall asleep in any way possible and not to be a victim of my state. It was the awfullest feeling I've ever felt. It was like wanting to sleep so much that you feel like dying, but not wanting to sleep at all, and both at the same time. That's why I managed to fall asleep when it was about seven in the morning. Still, I have no idea what caused this. I hadn't drunk coffee in the evening, I didn't think about anything at all, which was quite strange, because usually my head is full of thoughts. It just happened without any reason.

“Mother fucker, Ian!!!”  
I jumped and blinked fast.

“What a hell, man?” I shouted. “I said I'll be there in a minute!”

“It was already 15 minutes! And you were sleeping! Get the fuck up. I'll dress you up.”

“I can do it myself, thank you.”

“You tried, you failed. Now shut up and accept your fate. Be thankful that I don't force you to be shaven by me.”

The next 10 minutes were the most awkward in my entire life. It was pretty much okay when he was putting a shirt on me, but putting on the jeans was really uncomfortable. He was way too close to my junk. I mean, maybe it is okay for someone who's dating, but... No. Just no. That was too much.

 

_Anthony carried still sleeping Ian into Smosh Games HQ, holding Ian's espresso. It wasn't a super easy task, because Ian was a little too heavy and he had no idea if the coffee stay in a cup but not be spilled on both of them. Of course, Anthony could wake Ian up in the car and make him go by himself, but he wanted to show Lasercorn that all terms and conditions of the deal were abided._

“ _Oh, look!” Lasercorn shouted when he spotted Ian and Anthony. “The groom carries his sleeping bride! Sorry, guys, but none of us are priests, we can't marry you.”_

“ _Shut up!” Anthony shushed. “He haven't slept for all night.”_

“ _Oh... I see...” Joven smirked and nodded provocatively. Anthony glanced at him furiously._

“ _He just couldn't fall asleep, that's it,” he mumbled. “But I could, because I wasn't asleep the night before.”_

_Everyone in the room started giggling._

“ _I mean, I was thinking, okay?” he whispered loudly, trying to be quiet enough not to wake Ian up. “Anyway... Can anyone hold Ian's coffee?”_

_Mari took a warm cup out of his hand, and Anthony sat Ian down in the office-chair. Ian mumbled something and sighed, still asleep._

“ _I don't feel like waking him up,” Anthony whispered and added mentally, 'He's too cute when asleep.'_

“ _You need to,” Sohinki shrugged. “We all don't have all day for watching him sleep.”_

_Anthony looked around the faces of the Smosh Games crew and sighed._

“ _Why me?”_

“ _Because, my dear loser,” Lasercorn said as quiet as he could to make sure that Ian didn't hear him, “you must do that. So go and wake your Sleeping Beauty up.”_

“ _Fine,” Anthony groaned._

 

I had a strange dream. I met myself from the universe I stuck in now. I was with the Anthony who loved me and another me was with the Anthony who was my best friend. When the Ian and the Anthony who loved each other met, they recognised each other instantly and went away together. But when my best friend Anthony and I were left alone, I didn't know what to feel, because I was really glad to see my friend, but at the same time I felt that my attitude towards Anthony had changed. And it changed in the way I never wanted to feel.

“Wake up, sunshine...”

Anthony's quiet whispering in my ear made my heart beat a little faster. That worsened everything even more, however, I had nothing to do but pretend Anthony's boyfriend.

“Five more minutes,” I mumbled.

“Don't be so lazy,” his voice was a bit annoyed again. “Your coffee is still warm. You don't want it to get cold, do you?”

I opened my eyes to see his face being really close to mine, and smiled as naturally as I could.

“No, I don't...”

“So take your coffee and let's start shooting already!”

I heard someone's almost hysterical cry and raised my head. It turned out that I kinda didn't realise that we were in Smosh Games HQ. That was really awkward. I stood up quickly and stepped away.

“It's not what you think!” I shouted desperately the first thing that came to my mind.

“Calm down,” David came to me and gave me a side hug reassuringly. “Everything is fine, we already know about your relationship. There's nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Yeah, and here's your coffee,” Mari gave me a cup with my name on it. I realised that I didn't even remember how I ordered it. “Get your daily caffeine dose and let's start.”

After drinking coffee (later it turned out that it was my third cup), I finally felt somewhat alive. At least I didn't want to sleep that much. When it was time to split, Anthony and I decided not to be in one team. Instead, I paired with Matt, and Anthony was with Mari.

The shooting was pretty good. The caffeine made me more concentrated (at least, I felt like that), however, I was about to dose off for a couple of times. Still, I was able to play and I even found some strength left to do the punishment. I was foggy-headed all day long, so I didn't remember almost anything I did that day. I really hope it won't be too noticeable in the video... By the end of the day I was literally dying, so I went to the Anthony's car to wait for him there and fell asleep straight away. I still wonder what was wrong with me, but, I guess, I just should get more sleep, that's it.

 

“ _Well, I think, you're really good at being Ian's boyfriend,” Lasercorn mumbled, when Ian left. “Maybe, even too good. Don't you falling for him, by any chance?”_

“ _No!” Anthony shot out and shook his head. “How can I? He's my best friend!”_

“ _So what?” Mari asked. “I've read a lot of novels and fanfi-”_

“ _Don't you dare to speak about fanfics, okay?” Anthony cut her. “My life is not a freaking fanfic. And I'm not falling for Ian. I just play my role. And poorly, to be honest, 'cause it's Thursday already, but we haven't kissed properly. I don't think that dating couples could go without kisses that long.”_

“ _But you want to, huh?” Joven teased and chuckled._

“ _No. I'm just looking forward Monday,” Anthony sighed. “Right, gotta go. Leaving my car open with sleeping Ian inside is kinda risky.”_

_While Anthony drove on the way home, he thought about everything that happened that week so far. For some reason he really started thinking that he was falling in love with Ian. Just friends wouldn't watch each other sleeping. Their hearts wouldn't beat faster when they see each other. They wouldn't want to hold each others' hands. They would just be friends, normal friends. The thing Anthony started feeling towards Ian wasn't just friendship. But he still didn't know if these were his own feelings, not his character's that he created. That was why he was waiting for Monday. He wouldn't need to pretend any more and he would be able to find out finally the origin of the feelings._

_When they arrived, Anthony took sleeping Ian just like he did earlier today and carried him into his bedroom. It was much easier to carry Ian this time, and Anthony thought that the coffee was to blame back then. In the halfway, he heard Ian's sleepy voice._

“ _Where are we?”_

“ _At home,” he answered, smiling. “We're going into the bedroom.”_

“ _Why didn't you wake me up? I could walk myself...”_

“ _I couldn't. You were too cute when you were asleep.”_

_Anthony heard Ian chuckle and felt his arms around his neck. He smiled wider, his heart skipped a beat. Anthony felt really happy for the first time in a long time. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to know. At least, not yet._

“ _I love you.”_

“ _I love you too.”_

 


	6. Day 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for delay. I've got too much to do so I have no time at all... Still, here's the next chapter, hope you like it :)

When I woke up, Anthony already wasn't there. It took about five minutes to remember why he got up and didn't wake me up. I totally forgot that there was a business meeting that was held up today. That meant that it was the editing day for me. Editing, to be honest, is not the most enjoyable part of the creation of the video. Shooting is much funnier and more entertaining. However, we both can't escape that, someone must do the work.

Since Anthony wasn't here with me, I could have a rest and stop pretending of being his boyfriend at last. I got up, turned off the buzzing phone, which was reminding me to upload the video for our main channel and slowly made my way to computer. It took trice as long to do that, but I enjoyed it for some reason. As they say, the whole world can wait or something.

The day was unusually ordinary. It sounds like oxymoron, but with our lifestyles, ordinary days when nothing at all happens are pretty rare, I enjoyed every second of it, doing the most boring work I could imagine. But in the middle of the process I suddenly thought that I should give Anthony a surprise. I didn't know why it appeared in my head, but for some reason I liked it and got inspired by it. I began to look for something that could make Anthony happy, and then my phone buzzed. I checked it and saw a text from Anthony which said: 'It's so boring here... I wish you were with me now. I miss you so much...'. It made my heart melt, and I grinned, feeling the warm inside my chest. It didn't frightened me at all for some reason, I didn't even think about it. I just told him that I had a surprise for him and gave him the coordinates where and when he should've been waiting for me.

 

“ _Hello, my dear fellow!”_

“ _Uh, Dave, did you know that I'm kinda on a meeting now?” Anthony asked, frustrated._

“ _So what?” Lasercorn asked innocently and went on without waiting for Anthony to answer. “Anyway, I just realised that I forgot to give you the task yesterday.”_

“ _No, you didn't,” Anthony retorted instantly._

“ _Yes, I did.”_

“ _No, you didn't!”_

“ _Okay, so what was it?”_

“ _Uh...” Anthony pondered._

“ _Exactly!” David exclaimed happily. “So today I recalled your confession about you being a bad actor, so, here you are. You should kiss Ian. Tongue action and stuff.”_

“ _Wh- what?!” Anthony almost shouted but he managed to keep his voice down. “Lasercorn, what a hell are you talking about?! I won't do that, I'll never do that!!!”_

“ _You will,” David replied calmly. “Today.”_

“ _Shit...” Anthony muttered. “You're son of a bitch, did you know that?”_

“ _Have fun!” Lasercorn giggled and hang up._

_It was hard for Anthony to stay calm that day. Just before Lasercorn called him, he was texting with Ian, who told him that he had a surprise. Anthony got excited about it, but David's task terrified him. He didn't know what to do and what to expect, but he decided to throw these thoughts away and concentrate on the meeting._

_Half an hour later he admitted to himself that he failed miserably. He didn't even know what was going on it the room, there were only the thoughts about that night in his head. The more he thought about it, the more he got anxious. By the end of the meeting his hands started shaking, and he could do nothing with it. He couldn't calm down, and all the attempts made him even more nervous than he was._

 

I was standing near the crossroad and waiting for Anthony. He was late a little already, so I was nervous. Or maybe I was too impatient, I don't know. Nevertheless, there was no sign of Anthony's car. I glanced at my watch, forgetting the time right at the second I looked away, and sighed. I thought if it was a good idea to arrange everything, but I was hoping that he'd like it, although it wasn't the most creative thing in the universe. When I was about to cancel everything, I spotted the black car. It was Anthony.

“Hey!” I exclaimed when I opened the door. “How was the meeting?”

“No idea,” he smiled. “I was thinking about your surprise almost all the time.”

“This is not how the business is running,” I chuckled.

“Well, I couldn't help... It's Friday night, after all! Okay, where are we going?”

After finding the right direction and a place in the parking lot, we stopped.

“Can you see this restaurant?”

“Oh, I can't, it's too far away!” Anthony laughed. “Of course, I can.”

“So, this is my surprise. Romantic dinner!” I exclaimed, a little too happily. I hoped my smile wasn't looking forced, as I tried to cover my nervousness. He looked at the restaurant, then at me, and my heart nearly stopped. “Do you... Do you like it?”

“Seriously?” he looked straight into my eyes and grinned. “This is the best surprise ever!”

He hugged me tightly and I felt something lifting off my chest. I must admit that hugging in the car wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world, but I liked it so much.

The waiter who looked a little too stereotypical, led us to our table and gave us menus. Our table was near the window, which was behind huge and heavy red velvet curtain, so no one from the street could see us. It was covered with snow white tablecloth, and there were three candles right in the centre of it. The room was big, there were a lot of tables, and only a few were empty. In spite of it, the atmosphere in the restaurant was cosy and relaxing. There even was a band, playing some quiet light music, and that only supported the mood.

“Wow, this place is so fancy,” Anthony chuckled, opening his menu.

“Yea. But I wanted everything to be like that,” I smiled.

“Would you like a bottle of wine?”

The waiter's quiet voice was unexpected, so I nearly jumped in surprise. Anthony giggled quietly, hiding his face in the menu.

“Oh, uh... yeah, yes, please,” I mumbled. “Red, I guess?”

Anthony nodded, and the waiter vanished.

“That was scary,” I breathed out, watching Anthony grinning. “I wonder if he's a ninja or something.”

“Maybe,” Anthony shrugged and took my hand.

I looked at his hand and then on Anthony. He looked fantastic in his light blue, almost white shirt with black and white tie. His jacket was gone, but I could swear he wore it when we entered. Our eyes met, and I realised that I've never seen his eyes the way I saw them then. His eyes were warm, chocolate-coloured. The flames of the candles reflected in his eyes, making them sparkle. He swept his bangs away and smiled shyly, and this was the most beautiful smile I've seen. I felt something ignited in my chest, and I gripped his hand a bit tighter.

“Your wine, Sir.”

No, the waiter was definitely a ninja.

The dinner was great. The food was delicious, because, well, it was a restaurant. Speaking of us, the dinner was like our first proper date. At least, it was first for me, I don't know which it was for Anthony. I got to know him again, the different side of him. And I should say that I quite liked it. I saw him completely different, not as a friend, but something more. I felt that I didn't need to force myself acting like he was my boyfriend, he... He was my boyfriend, and I was his. And the realisation didn't scared me at all, for some reason. Moreover, I almost liked it.

When we went out to our car, it was already dark. The parking lot was lit by the street lamps. I stopped beside the car. Anthony looked at me strangely, as if he was asking me why I didn't sit into the car.

“I want to thank you for tonight's dinner,” I explained quickly. He smiled and went to me. “But tell me... Did you like it?”

“I did,” he put a hand on my shoulder. “It was as perfect as the first date.”

“Then I'm happy that I could make you happy,” I grinned.

“Not yet.”

I looked at him questioningly. I couldn't understand what did he mean and, as if he read my mind, he explained himself.

“Every date should end with a kiss.”

“You want me to kiss you?” I chuckled.

“Well, you don't need to if you don't want t-”

And I kissed him.

Anthony answered to the kiss almost instantly, letting my tongue slip in his mouth. His lips tasted like a dessert he ate before we left, they were so sweet and so soft. He pressed my body to his, and I felt his warmth. I slipped my hand around his neck and directed it into his hair, and he smiled against my lips. I didn't want this moment to end. But the weather had its own plans.

The heavy rain began instantly, taking us by surprise. There was no point in hiding somewhere, we'd already been soaked to the bone. I broke the kiss and turned my face to the sky.

“Seriously?” I shouted to the sky.

“Don't be mad at the weather,” Anthony grinned.

“It ruined the perfect moment, by the way!”

“Well, we can have better moment. And it'll be more melodramatic, by the way.”

He gripped my body and kissed me again. It was quick yet tender this time. And when we broke the kiss, we looked in each other's eyes, and I spotted the sparkle in his eyes. He was genuinely happy. And I think, I could say the same about myself.


	7. Day 6

I woke up surprisingly early by my standards. Anthony was sleeping next to me, face to the wall. My arm was pressed to his back, and I could feel his heat. His body was really hot, and I'm not talking about appearance now. Although it was hot and stuffy in the room, I didn't want to move away, I was actually enjoying it. To be honest, I was kind of happy lying beside Anthony. I don't know what happened with me yesterday, but so many things had changed after our first kiss. I didn't know what exactly changed, though. It was just... just different, but in a sweet and pleasurable way. I was really happy to be by his side, literally and figuratively.

While I was thinking, how lucky I was, I felt the movement on Anthony's side. I thought he was waking up and turned my head to him, smiling.

_Smack!_

Well, this was not what I expected. He didn't wake up, he just turned on his back, overlying me. His arm hit my face pretty hard, and then I made the most terrible mistake I could even think of. I shouted. The problem was that his ear was near my mouth. He woke up instantly, got up and started screaming in terror. His elbow hit me hard right in my cheekbone, and then he pushed away from my stomach and fell of the bed. Everything hurt like a bitch.

“Anthony, fucking shit, why the fuck you fucking did that?!” I shouted.

“Why the hell did you scream?!” he retorted, getting up from the floor.

“You lay on me and hit my face!” I was holding my cheekbone with one hand and my stomach with another. I'd be lucky if there wouldn't be any bruises.

“It wasn't the reason to scream right in my ear!”

“Yeah?! Come here, I'll give you the shiner! And then you'll tell me!”

I was really angry on him. I couldn't help but scream, however it was really painful. I think he was angry on me too, but, at least, I didn't beat the shit out of him. He left our bedroom and closed the door roughly, still in rage. But I didn't care.

 

“ _Heey-hey, Casanova!” Lasercorn greeted Anthony. “How's going? How's the task?”_

“ _We kissed,” Anthony answered blankly. “Happy?”_

“ _And I didn't see that?! What a shame... Okay, so here's your task for today-”_

“ _I don't need it,” Anthony interrupted him. “I've got one.”  
“What's it?” David asked, interested._

“ _I should make it up with Ian.”_

“ _What happened?” Lasercorn's intonation became concerned._

“ _I hit him. Hard. Twice.”_

“ _Wow.”_

“ _Yeah.”_

“ _Okay, so no task for today,” Dave sighed. “Oh, by the way, we all will be tomorrow in your place.”_

“ _Why?” Anthony asked frightened._

“ _Well, we should recreate the previous Sunday, you know. And to have fun, of course.”_

“ _Uh-huh, sure,” Anthony mumbled lifelessly._

 

“Hey...”

I heard quiet Anthony's voice. I didn't answer, I still was mad at him.

“Honey...” he entered the bedroom and walked to me slowly.

“Get lost,” I growled.

“I brought some ice for you...”

“It's too late.”

“Are you still angry on me?” he asked and put a hand on my shoulder. I shook it off.

“No shit. It hurts really bad, if you're wondering.”

“I didn't want to, I'm sorry...”

“Uh-huh. Didn't want to hurt me, didn't want to scream at me, right?”

“Look, I was asleep, I was scared...” he tried to hug me. “Please, forgive me.”

I was silent.

“I will do whatever you want... Do you want me to do all the editing, maybe? Do you?”

“Yes,” I muttered. “And pizza. A big one.”

“Anything my sunshine wants,” he sounded like he was smiling. A second later I felt his lips on my survived cheek. “Turn to me, please.”

“No. You're not forgiven yet. And it hurts to move.”

“Does it really hurt so bad?” he was surprised.

“Have I ever lied to you?” I groaned. “You pushed really hard.”

“I'm sorry,” he whispered and hugged me again. “I'll go order a pizza for you at once and start editing, okay?”

“Okay. And upload Lunchtime.”

“Sure. I love you.”

“Me too.”

 

_Anthony felt very bad after the morning incident. I had no idea how he managed to hurt Ian. Anthony would never hurt him intendedly, anything but that. This incident was especially unpleasant because of the dinner the night before. The night Anthony showed the sign of his love._

_By the end of the evening Anthony realised that he was terrified not of the Lasercorn task, but of the rejection. During the dinner he caught himself thinking that he wanted to kiss Ian, really wanted to. But the only thought was stopping him – 'what if he would reject you?' Anthony didn't know if Ian fell for him for real or he was just pretending like he was himself. Or was he? Anthony couldn't answer this question. Yes, he was waiting for Monday when this would be over, but he was thinking that he didn't want this to end more often. His feelings mixed, he couldn't understand where was the border between his character and himself. He didn't even know if the character even existed._

_Maybe, just maybe, everything he felt, said and thought was his own feelings, words and thoughts. Maybe he thought that it was just a role because it was easier to accept it. Maybe he, Anthony, was in love with his best friend. But there was one thing – he couldn't tell if it was true as long as he was forced to be Ian's boyfriend. That was the real reason why Anthony waited for Monday, not 'the end of the torture' thing._

_It was already evening when he finished editing. He walked to the living room to stretch his legs and have a snack. Ian was there, playing Mass Effect. He was so concentrated that he didn't noticed Anthony at first. The injured cheek was red and swollen. His eyes were fixed on the screen. His face was serious, but Anthony thought that it was really cute. 'My lovely Ian,” he thought and smiled to himself when he felt his heart pounding._

 

The sound of the microwave brought me back to the real world. I didn't even know how much time passed. I saw Anthony in the kitchen, he was holding a plate with pizza leftovers.

“I heated it up,” he said when he noticed me watching and smiled. I smiled back and felt my cheek aching. “How are you?”

“Much better, thanks,” I moved to free the place for Anthony. He put a plate on the table in front of the sofa and sat beside be. “How was the editing?”

“Good, I've done almost everything I wanted, but... It was so sad and boring without you...” he sighed heavily. “But I could deal with it because I want to be forgiven. I can't live in the world where you're mad at me.”

“And I'm glad you did it no matter what,” I lay my hand on his shoulder.

“But... Am I forgiven now?” he asked quietly and carefully. I nodded. “May I... May I kiss you? Please?”

I smiled slightly and nodded again. He kissed my aching cheek first, gently, and for some reason it really relieved the pain. Then he leaned to my lips and kissed me in the way he did yesterday when we were standing under the rain. That was wonderful, and it could be perfect if my cheek wasn't injured.

“So,” Anthony broke the kiss and looked in my eyes. “What are we going to do?”

“Dunno,” I shrugged. “Maybe just eat pizza and watch something?”

“Sounds like great idea!” he grinned and kissed my nose.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration is even more heartless bitch than gravity... Hope you enjoyed it :)  
> (only 2 chapters until the end, yay!)


	8. Day 7

I woke up with Anthony's kiss and couldn't help but smile. I should have admitted that this was the one of the best and sweetest ways to bring me back to the real world, so I decided to pretend that I was still asleep to get more of it.

“I know that you're not asleep any more,” I heard Anthony sighing. “Come on...”

I still refused to open my eyes but I couldn't control my smile which became broader. Anthony giggled.

“Fine,” he groaned and kissed me again. I smiled against his lips and answered.

“You should always get my hints,” I chuckled when we stopped kissing. “You're my boyfriend, after all.”

'Yeah, but I hoped that it would be enough for you,” Anthony shrugged, and I hit him playfully in his shoulder.

“Bastard,” I grinned.

“You must love me just as I am. Oh, by the way,” Anthony smirked mysteriously. “I've got a surprise for you.”

“Really? Where?” I scanned the bedroom, searching for something new.

“Not here, not now,” he kissed my cheek and got up. “Oh, and there'll be our game crew today. If you don't mind. It's not a part of my surprise, if you wonder.”

“They come here too often, don't you think?” I laughed. “Sleepover again?”

“Don't know, maybe,” he shrugged. “Right, come on, let's have breakfast. I've bought some doughnuts, I thought you'd love it.”

It was the best morning I'd had since I got here. We had breakfast together and edited the video Anthony didn't finish yesterday. All that time we were cuddling with each other and I'd never felt happier than then. I couldn't say that I loved Anthony though, I wasn't sure about it, but, to be honest, I thought so. At least, I loved to be around him, and, I guess, he did too.

We finished by the time the guys should've arrived, so I went to buy some Chinese food while Anthony was waiting for them at home. He didn't want me to leave and he was trying to stop me, whining that he would die without me. Still, the place where we wanted to order the food didn't do delivery, so Anthony had nothing to do but let me go. I promised him that I'd be back as soon as I could, jumped in my car and left.

 

“ _Hey, guys!” Joven shouted, when Anthony opened the door. “How's it going?”_

“ _Come in,” Anthony invited the Smosh Games crew in. “Ian isn't here yet, he's left to buy some food for us.”_

“ _So, while he's away, you tell me, how's the last day of your punishment going,” Lasercorn smiled and fell on the sofa._

“ _Pretty well, actually,” Anthony shrugged. “I'm looking forward for tomorrow, though.”_

“ _All right...” David mumbled, looking at Anthony from under his eyebrows. “Are you ready for your final task?”_

“ _Yes.”_

“ _Well, that's what I call 'dedication', guys!” Lasercorn grinned. “So, your last task will be... What could it be... Right, since today's the last day, I'll give you pretty simple task. Just act like you two are a couple on your honeymoon.”_

“ _Aww, it's gonna be so sweet,” Mari cooed. “Sorry, can't help it.”_

“ _By the way, when he's going to be back?” Matt asked._

“ _I'll find out now,” Anthony took his phone and dialled Ian's number. A few seconds later Anthony heard familiar voice._

“ _Hi, honey.”_

“ _Where are you, sweetheart?” Anthony asked, walking from side to side._

“ _I'm in a traffic, but I think I'll get home soon. Are the guys there?”_

“ _Yeah, we're all waiting for you.”_

“ _I won't be long, I promise.”_

“ _Okay. Be careful on the road. I love you.”_

“ _I love you too.”_

_Anthony hung up and saw Mari surrounded by the others, who were cooling her. She looked like she was going to fall unconscious in any second. Sohinki caught Anthony's blank stare._

“ _What are you looking at?” he asked. “Can't you see what you've done?”_

“ _Me?” Anthony was surprised._

“ _Yes! She couldn't deal with cuteness!” Joven responded, trying hard to hide a smirk._

“ _I can't...” Mari mumbled quietly, but loudly enough so that Anthony could hear. “I can't even...”_

“ _Well, remembering Lasercorn's task, I'm afraid you won't be able to be with us today,” Anthony shrugged._

“ _I will!” Mari exclaimed and rose up as if nothing happened to her._

 

Anthony met me in a garage and gave me a hug with a kiss. I returned him the favour and smiled.

“You were waiting for me, weren't you?” I asked, passing the fingers through his hair.

“How couldn't I?” he giggled. “I missed you. And everyone's here as well.”

“What can I say, traffic sucks,” I shrugged. “All right, can you help me?”

“Sure,” he smiled, took all the bags and went into the house. Soon afterwards I followed him and heard him exclaiming 'The food's arrived!' and everyone's cheering in response. I entered the room quietly, trying to remain unnoticed as long as I could, but I failed.

“And here's Ian!” Anthony exclaimed happily and tapped on the empty place beside him. When I took a sit, he hugged me again as if I was a giant teddy bear.

“Aww, isn't it true love?” Mari purred and everyone giggled.

The evening was great. We all were chatting around, eating the food I've brought, terrorising Mari with comments about her chopsticks using skills, playing video games – generally, all stuff a company of friends would do. Anthony was hugging me non-stop, but I didn't mind it; in fact, I actually loved it. His warm body was nice and cosy, it felt just like a blanket on cold winter night. I liked that feeling, and, apparently, Anthony liked it too.

Later that evening Lasercorn asked us to play cards, like we usually did. Anthony declined the offer instantly.

“I won't play with you any more,” he said. “After that last time – never.”

“What happened that time? I-” I wanted to say that I hadn't been there, but stopped, remembering that it was another universe and I actually was with them. “I don't remember.”

“Lasercorn took all my money,” Anthony muttered, pouting.

“Oh...” I thought for a moment. “I can win them back, I think. I'm in!”

“Honey, no!” Anthony pleaded, horrified. “He's too good at this game!”

“So what? I think, it worth trying,” I smiled, kissed him in his nose and received a bunch of 'aww's in return.

While we were playing, I made some observations. David was really good at playing cards. He won almost all the rounds. I was giving in, letting Lasercorn win, and trying my best to find out his weaknesses. The only one distraction was Anthony, who was trying to help me win. Finally, I collected all the information I needed.

“Fuck, you won all my money too!” I whined, making David grin.

“Just admit it, you can't help your boyfriend,” he chuckled.

“I can! Give me one more chance. If I lose, I'll... I'll be your slave for a month!” I cried in despair.

“For a month... Well...” Lasercorn pondered, but I didn't wait for the answer.

“I'll wear a maid uniform and speak with Spanish accent!”

“Well... Okay, if I win, you'll be my maid for a month, and if you win, you'll get all your money back.”

“No. If I win, you'll give me all the money you won today.”

Everyone were listening to our conversation with interest, but they weren't interrupting us.

“Deal!” Lasercorn agreed.

The whole round was in silence. Everyone was watching us, their hearts beating with suspense. Anthony's fingers clung to my shoulders painfully, but I tried my best to ignore it. By the end of the round there was too much tension in the air. I did the last move...

“So, dude, where's my money?” I laughed triumphantly, watching Lasercorn's face widening in shock. My tactics worked exactly as I planned.

“How... I mean... You were losing all the evening!” he shouted, confused.

“Well... A bit of bluff isn't such a bad thing,” I smiled. “My money, please.”

Lasercorn handed me the money he won and muttered something. I guess, it was a curse. I turned to Anthony and give him the money.

“Here are your money,” I smiled. “And don't let them being spend on games, okay?”

“Okay,” Anthony smiled happily. “You're the best man in the universe, I love you so much!”

“I love you too,” I pecked his lips, but he definitely wanted more and kissed me passionately.

 

“Do you remember about the surprise I told you in the morning?” I heard Anthony whispering in my ear.

“I do.”

“Good. Come to our bedroom in fifteen minutes.”

Anthony got up and yawned.

“Right, guys, I'm gonna go sleep. It was great fun to spend the evening with you!” he exclaimed and waved his hand. “Are you going to stay here overnight?”

“Yes,” Sohinki answered. “We thought that it would be convenient to go to the Smosh Games HQ with you.”

“All right. Ian, are you going with me?” he asked and shook his hand almost invisibly, giving me the sign not to accept the offer.

“Nah, a bit later, maybe.”

“Right. Good night, guys!”

I was wondering what kind of surprise he had for me. I thought about it for all day, but when he reminded me about it, I couldn't think about anything but this. I didn't even hear what the guys were talking about.

“Ian! Ian, are you with us?” Joven asked, waving his hand in front of my face.

“What? Uh, yes,” I nodded furiously.

“Really?” Matt smirked. “So what are we talking about?”

I tried to remember, but there was nothing to recall.

“I don't know,” I confessed and sighed.

“Maybe you should go to sleep?” Mari asked, concerned. I glanced on the watch hanging on the wall – it was about time.

“Yeah, I think you're right. See you tomorrow, then,” I got up and walked to my room.

When I came into the room, I saw the bed surrounded by burning candles and Anthony, lying underneath the blanket.

“So,” I began. “Where's your surprise?”

“Come here,” he said quietly. I sat on the bed beside him. “You know, all this week we were distant for some reason. We were even barely touching each other. I miss it. I miss the contact between us. And I want to restore it.”

He sat and put his hand on mine. I looked at him questioningly.

“This is my surprise,” he smiled, moved nearer and whispered in my ear. “I want you...”

Everything fell into place for me. This was obvious, it was no wonder that he wanted me. I was afraid of this moment, only the thought about it was sending shivers down my spine. But not now. Now I was afraid of myself and my feelings.

“But how about...” I heard himself whispering. “Them...”

“They won't hear us, I promise. So, what do you think about it?”

What happened next... Well, let's just say, I made him moan and scream my name. Twice, we decided to do that once again in the shower. I still can't understand how I could agree on it so easily. But I did. I didn't want to like it, but I loved it. I couldn't believe that something like that could happen between us. It was wrong, unnatural, gross, but, god damn, it was one of the best thing I've experienced. After it happened, I fell asleep, cuddling with Anthony and trying to ignore all the thoughts and feelings fighting in my mind.

 

“ _Anthony? Anthony, wake up!”_

“ _What?” Anthony opened his eyes and winced._

“ _The punishment's over!” Lasercorn exclaimed quietly. “So you move to your room. We've already tidied up and dressed both of you up, now it's time for you to go.”_

“ _I... I don't want to,” Anthony moaned. “I want to stay here, with Ian.”_

“ _No, you can't. Come on.”_

_Anthony got up unwillingly and sighed. He looked back on Ian, who hugged Anthony's pillow and wished that pillow was him. David led Anthony out of Ian's bedroom carefully, knowing that it hurt Anthony to walk, both physically and mentally._

“ _You two had pretty hot night, hadn't you?” Lasercorn asked. Anthony looked at him terrified. “We heard everything perfectly. You're too loud, do you know that? Anyway, you mustn't talk about this week with Ian. He doesn't have to know that it was real. Just act like you were before the punishment. Is it clear?”_

_Anthony nodded sadly. Lasercorn tapped his shoulder to calm him down._

“ _We can talk about it later, if you want, okay? Now go back to sleep. See you tomorrow.”_

_***_

I woke up and noticed that I was all alone. The room was clean, there were no signs of yesterday night. It felt like I was in my universe. The alarm rang, telling me that I should upload new Lunchtime. I decided to leave this privilege for Anthony and went to the kitchen. Anthony was sitting at the table, eating scrambled eggs.

“Hi,” I said, trying to figure out where I was.

“Sup. How's going?”

I realised that I was back in my own universe. It was great, I was finally free and I didn't have to pretend any more, but... I was empty inside. As if the thing I was afraid of just happened to me.

“Good,” I squeezed out. “Would you upload the Lunchtime?”

“Sure,” he nodded. “And we're leaving in an hour, get ready.”

I nodded and closed my eyes. For some reason I wanted to go back in the universe I was in desperately.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end.  
> Or is it?..
> 
> ///
> 
> And happy Halloween everyone!


	9. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank every reader. Thank you for reading this work, for liking it, for commenting it. I really appreciate it and every single hit is important for me. Thank you so much, I love you all!

This was the first day after the end of the deal Lasercorn and Anthony had. The deal that had affected Ian and Anthony's lives tremendously. This was the day when everything should have been brought back as it was before. But it didn't.

Ian tried to get used to his role of Anthony's best friend again. He tried to act as casual as he could, and he somewhat succeeded in it, but there was chaos inside him. He couldn't understand what happened to him. He couldn't understand why he was both sad and happy at the same time. The happiness was obvious, as he wanted to stop pretending that he loved Anthony for the whole week. But sadness... He couldn't explain this. He couldn't admit that he might actually fell in love with Anthony. It was impossible for him, it was something that mustn't exist. But still, he'd already missed those days. He missed those touches, kisses, feeling of happiness that overwhelmed him back then. But he preferred not to try to bring it back. He thought that Anthony wouldn't accept his new feelings and the friendship would be ruined.

For Anthony everything was obvious. He was in love with Ian. He began to think about it that week but after the kiss there were no doubts left for him. The only thing he couldn't get was why he fell love with Ian so quickly. He thought that he was already in love with him, when the punishment started, but he couldn't realise it before. It was painful for him to leave Ian when the week ended and his heart was breaking with realisation that he would never kiss him again. He tried to play it cool, but he couldn't, and the only thing Anthony was hoping for was that Ian wouldn't notice this.

“Anthony, you're so sad today, what happened?” Mari wondered after Anthony and Ian finished shooting Gametime. Everyone from Smosh Games crew was in the room, except Ian, who went to stretch his legs.

“Me? Sad? Really, I'm the happiest man on the fucking universe,” Anthony muttered sarcastically.

“Yeah, we can see that. Seriously, what's wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you worried about the deal?” Lasercorn asked concerned. Anthony nodded.

“Yes. I- Never mind.”

“Come on, let's talk about it! Maybe it will ease your mind,” Sohinki suggested.

“All right,” Anthony sighed. “I don't want to lie to Ian that the week didn't exist. I don't want to pretend. I want to... Right. Guys, I think I'm in love with him. I mean, for real.”

“Well...” Joven began after a few seconds of silence. “Don't you think it's too soon?”

“That's the point!” Anthony admitted sadly. “But... I think I've always loved him, but I thought that it was normal relationship between best friends... I don't know, I really don't. And now... I just can't. I'm going to tell Ian about everything.”

“Don't you afraid that he'll hate you?” Mari asked.

“I do,” Anthony nodded. “Fuck, I'd beat me as hard as I could if I were him. But I can't pretend. I can't just act like nothing happened. I can't forget about this week, the deal, everything. And he deserves to know.”

“Thanks for information.”

Anthony heard Ian's voice and turned around but he only saw the closing door. He realised that Ian heard the conversation. The worst that could happen just happened. Anthony stood up and ran after him.

“Ian!” he screamed. “Ian, stop!”

Anthony caught up Ian and grabbed his hand, but Ian slapped Anthony's hand away.

“Not enough?”

“Ian, please, it's not what you're thinking,” Anthony was trying to catch his breath.

“What is it then? Come on, tell me,” Ian said coldly. Anthony felt shivers running down his spine.

“I just... I lost all my money to Lasercorn and I had to do everything he told me...”

“I hope you had fun,” Ian began to walk away.

“Ian, wait! I... I love you!..” Anthony shouted desperately.

“No,” Ian stopped. “You don't. You're not even my friend. And you know why? Because my best friend would do anything but hurt me. But you... You tried to save your hide. You didn't hurt me, you destroyed me. I can't trust you any more. I don't think I want to know you any more.”

Anthony's heart ached so much that it seemed like it literally broke. Tears began to form in his eyes. He tried to catch Ian, who was walking away, but he stopped him.

“Don't follow me. If you _do_ love me, don't.”

Anthony stopped and turned away, not being able to watch him leave. His legs gave way under him, he was ready to fall on the floor but he managed to get to the room and fall on the chair lifelessly.

“What happened?” Joven asked when he spotted Anthony entering the room.

“He left,” Anthony whispered.

“Oh god,” Mari ran to him and gave him the biggest hug she could give.

“He said...” Anthony sobbed. “He said that he didn't want to know me any more... He... He hates me...”

“No, he's not,” Mari tried to reassure him. “Just let him spill the anger, give him some alone time. When you get home, he'll be waiting for you.”

“You think so?”

“Yes.”

But he didn't.

When Anthony came back home, he was overwhelmed with the feeling that something was missing but he couldn't get what exactly. He went straight to Ian's room to talk and settle everything down, but when he opened the door, everything was clear.

There was no sight of Ian, and all his stuff was gone. Ian quitted the house while Anthony was away. There was no chance left for Anthony. He realised that everything was over. But he didn't want to leave everything like that, he vowed to himself to find him and settle everything down.

 

“Ian! My boy!”

“Hi, mum.”

Mrs Hecox hugged Ian, and he smiled barely.

“Listen, before I... uh... Anyway, can I ask you something?”

“Of course, honey.”

Ian cringed inside, hearing the nickname Anthony called him.

“Can I live here until I find a place to live? Please?” he begged, looking at the floor.

“Yes, take your time. But why don't you want to live in the house with Anthony?” Mrs Hecox wondered.

“Please, don't call his name,” Ian whispered. “We're not friends any more, he betrayed me. I'm not ready to talk about it yet, sorry.”

“That's okay, honey,” she smiled. “You can stay in your old room. But I think it needs to be cleaned a bit...”

“I'll do that. Thanks, mum. I love you.”

 

“Hey, it's Ian. I'm kinda busy, but I'll call you back later. Maybe.”

“Ian, please, answer me,” Anthony pleaded, when answering machine bleeped. “I didn't want to hurt you, and I still don't. Please, let's talk...”

He hung up and sighed heavily. He'd already called Ian for about a hundred times, but all that time he heard the answering machine. He called all his friends Anthony knew too, but they all told him that they hadn't seen Ian. Anthony didn't know what to do, his hope was dying with every single call. Then he realised that he forgot about the most obvious place Ian could go. He called the number and waited. After a few dialling tones, Mrs Hecox picked the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Mrs Hecox. Is Ian there? I want to talk to him.”

“Anthony, is that you?” she asked, trying to find out who was calling.

“Yes, it's me,” Anthony babbled. “Mrs Hecox, I wanna talk to-”

“Don't call here, Anthony,” she interrupted him. “I don't know what happened, but I can see that you hurt my son, and I won't let you do that again. Forget this number.”

“But Mrs Hecox,” Anthony began, but Mrs Hecox had already hung up.

“Well, at least, I know where he is,” he thought, but deep down in his mind he knew that the knowledge was useless. The phone slipped out of his hands and fell on the floor, but he didn't care.

 

“Anthony! Anthony, it's Lasercorn!”

Anthony didn't answer. He was angry with David, because he ruined his life, and he hadn't enough strength to answer him loud enough.

“Anthony! The door's open! I'm going in!”

“Whatever,” Anthony mumbled.

A minute later, Lasercorn entered Anthony's room. Anthony was lying on the bed, his face to the wall. Very old empty bags of crisps and pizza cardboards surrounded him and his bed. His room was a mess, and the air was stuffy.

“Anthony, what have you done with yourself?..” Lasercorn sighed. “When did you get up last time?”

“Dunno,” Anthony whispered. “A few weeks ago, maybe.”

“So today's the day! Get up, let's go for a walk. You need it.”

“No. I don't need it. I don't need your help. I hate you. You ruined my life.”

“Anthony, come on,” Lasercorn sat on the bed. “I know I'm guilty. I'm sorry. I really am.”

“Your sorry won't bring Ian back,” Anthony said coldly. “I haven't seen him since that Gametime. I remember his voice only because it's on his answering machine. But I want to see him, to talk to him, I fucking miss him...”

“We all miss him,” Dave sighed and tapped Anthony's shoulder.

“Not as much as me.”

“I can see that. But, listen, we are losing you too. I haven't seen you for a month! And you're losing yourself too. Come on, let's go for a walk. You really need fresh air.”

“All right.”

Anthony got up, altough every movement was painful for him. When Lasercorn saw his face, he squeaked in terror. Anthony became almost unrecognisable. His face was unhealthy pale, he had grown much thinner of late; his chin showed weeks' growth of beard. It was too scary to look at Anthony, he looked like a really bad copy of himself.

“Are you going to change your clothes?” David managed to ask.

“No point. Let's go.”

The weather was exact opposite of Anthony's mood. Everything was too bright and happy for him. The sun was shining joyfully on the bright blue sky, its rays reflected on the bright green leaves, whispering along the wind; the air was comfortably hot. Kids were playing on the playground, screaming and laughing.

“Anthony, cheer up,” Lasercorn tried to break the ice. “Look around, how beautiful it is!”

“It's not,” Anthony mumbled.

“Why not?”

“Someone's missing.”

“Please, just forget about him for a second and look around. It's simple!”

Anthony sighed and raised his head. In the corner of the eye he spotted someone who looked strangely familiar. He turned to watch closely and felt his heart aching.

“Ian...” he whispered.

“Please, stop thinking about him!” Lasercorn begged.

“No... Ian is there... Can't you see?” Anthony pointed at the man he spotted and tried to shout. “Ian! Ian!”

“He won't hear you. Wait here, I'll go talk to him, okay?”

Anthony nodded and sat on the bench nearby. He was nervous, his hands started shaking furiously. He was hoping for something but he didn't know what exactly.

At the same time David caught up Ian and called him. Ian didn't look back and walked faster. Lasercorn grabbed his hand and forced him to turn around.

“What do you want?” Ian asked rudely.

“Look, I want to talk to you.”

“There's nothing to talk about.”

“Yes, there is,” Lasercorn glanced at Anthony. “I know you hate me now, everyone does. You think I've ruined your life-”

“True.”

“Now I want to mend it. Anthony is dying without you. Please, if you don't want to talk to me – talk to him. He needs it.”

“I don't want to talk to him either,” Ian said sharply. “He betrayed me. He showed that he wasn't my friend.”

“Maybe, but, please, he needs to talk to you. Do him a favour,” David pleaded.

“Fine. Where's he?”

“Come with me.”

They approached to the bench where Anthony was sitting. Ian sat beside him, not daring to look at him. Lasercorn moved away to let them talk privately.

“How's going?” Anthony asked uneasily.

“Good.”

“I'm glad to hear that.”

They both went silent, no one knew what they could say to each other. The seconds felt like months.

“I miss you,” Anthony finally broke the silence.

“Me too.”

“Why didn't you call me back?”

“I don't want to know you. You betrayed me,” Ian's intonation remained colder than Arctic ice, his eyes were on the ground. He didn't dare looking at Anthony, he was afraid of the look.

“Let me tell you something,” Anthony pleaded.

“Go ahead.”

“I love you. I loved you back then and I still love you. I still remember the week we were forced to be together. This was the happiest week in my entire life. Do you remember it?”

“I do,” Ian replied blankly. “But I want to forget it.”

“But why? Why do you want to do that? Why do you want me to die? I can't live without you, I don't want to live without you.”

“You made me feel loved but then you took it back. You lied to me, you were following the orders, not your heart.”

“But you liked it, didn't you?” Anthony caressed Ian's cheek with his shaking hand ant tried to turn his head to his side. When Ian saw Anthony's face, his eyes rounded in fear for a moment.

“What happened to you?” he tried to sound cold, but his voice cracked.

“You. It's all because you left.”

“You shouldn't have done that.”

“I couldn't help. I couldn't stop thinking about you. I was remembering the week. Do you remember? Remember our first kiss? On the parking lot, under the rain?”

“Please, don't,” Ian whispered weakly.

“Or our first sex? You tried to be as silent as you could, but I ruined everything when I screamed your name in ecstasy? I bet you still can feel my nails digging in your skin...”

“Stop...”

“Or when we were cuddling? Every time when we were enjoying the presence of each other, together... It wasn't the orders. I wanted it. Why do you want to forget it?”

“I... I gotta go,” Ian stood up quickly. “It was nice to talk-”

“Give me the last kiss,” Anthony asked.

“What?”

“You're going to leave me forever, aren't you? Kiss me goodbye. Please.”

Ian looked into Anthony's eyes. They were lifeless. The sparks he remembered were gone. It was hard for him to see Anthony in such state.

“I want to forget it because I love you,” he breathed out. “I don't want to, but I do. So I can't kiss you. I don't want it to be back. I tried too hard to kill my love for you. I'm afraid of breaking my heart again. That's why I want to forget you. I can't take the pain any more.”

“I will never hurt you...”

“I can't believe you.”

“Well... That's okay, I deserve it,” Anthony nodded sadly. “I'll just leave you then. I hope it'll make you happy.”

“It won't, but I'll do my best,” Ian muttered.

“Okay, now you two stop this,” Lasercorn meddled. “You two are a bunch of idiots. You love each other! Do you know the meaning of the word or it's just an empty sound for you, huh? You,” he turned to Anthony, “are not even trying to convince him that you really need him! And you,” he turned to Ian, “can you even hear what you're saying? 'I love you but I let you die in a hole,' sure thing, all lovers say that! 'I can't trust you because you were doing something not on your free will,' god dammit, you are friends since the fucking sixth grade! Did he do that every single time? No! Have you ever seen his eyes when you were kissing or making love? Were they the eyes of a slave? No! And, by the way, I didn't force him to have sex with you, it was a surprise for me too! I can't understand, why, just why can't you realise that you are made for each other?!”

Ian and Anthony looked blankly on Lasercorn and then on each other.

“Well, I hope you'll have a great life without me,” Anthony whispered.

“Yeah, thank you.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” David yelled. “Give each other one more chance! You deserve it! Don't be too stupid to lose each other forever!”

Ian and Anthony were looking into each other's eyes, trying to remember how their eyes looked like when both of them were happy. They didn't move or even blink. The world faded away, there were only two of them, staring at each other. And then they kissed. Just like back then, when they were kissing under the rain. The gap between their bodies disappeared, and they felt their hearts beating in unison.

“Finally!” David exclaimed, half angrily, half excited. Anthony and Ian smiled against their lips when they heard it and broke the kiss.

“Please don't leave me,” Anthony pleaded.

“I won't.”

 

“So,” Mari asked, shoving the forkful of salad in her mouth. “What will you do on your anniversary?”

“Well, I'm preparing a surprise for Anthony, actually,” Ian smiled.

“A dinner in the restaurant, for sure,” Lasercorn joked.

“No way, a carting night maybe,” Anthony laughed.

“Wanna bet?”

“Right, no bets, no deals, nothing like that!” Ian yelled.

“Oh, come on,” Sohinki grinned. “Deals are not that bad.”

“And in fact, they're usually good,” Joven added. “Anthony and you are together now because of the one.”

“Maybe, but I don't want you, Anthony, to make deals any more,” Ian grinned. “Deal?”

Anthony smiled and pecked Ian in his cheek.

“Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End.


End file.
